Chapter four - Caught in the moment.
Sitting in the great hall after a long morning of class's Tom finds himself scorning into his plate of sandwiches. He'd found himself glancing at Alice a little too much during class. If it wasn't for the way her blonde hair reflected the light his eyes wouldn't automatically find her he told himself. After always seeking out a challenge he can't help but feel like since this girl has arrived Hogwarts has brightened up considerably. No longer having to go through dire days with boring people who give in to his every whim. For once their is someone with wit, and charm. Someone to match himself.
"Tom?" Avery mumbles after polishing of his bowl of soup.
"Yes?"
"I don't mean to be nosey or anything," he begins glancing at Tom to survey his expression, "but me and the guys have noticed that you've been spending some time with Abel,"
Tom scorns him, feeling the need to point out that it wasn't a question he just asked, it was a statement. Turning his head for a moment to look at Avery, he sighs at the questioning look.
"Don't worry, I need to get close to her in order to work out her greatest weakness,"
Avery nods vigorously, deceiving the slightly confused look on his usually placid face.
"This girl is a hard one to figure out, but I will soon I assure you,"
"That's good, we were just wondering if theirs anything we can do to help, that's all,"
Tom sits for a moment in silence, going over Avery's statement in his head. Is there something they could do to help? Finding himself torn between two answers he mutters a "no," not wanting them to be any where near the Abel girl, for both selfish and practical reasons, "remember to tell the rest about our meeting tonight,"
Looking at clock, he realises that there is only fifteen minutes until class starts, so stands up waving a quick goodbye to Avery, and heads to Transfiguration.

"Now class welcome to Transfiguration," Dumbledore begins with a cheery grin on his face as he surveys his students, "today we shall we doing, I'm afraid, some theory," a loud groan manages to fill the classroom as all the students slouch back in annoyance. Rarely did anyone enjoy the theory part of Transfiguration.
As soon as everyone begins to work Alice turns around to Sam, poking her in the rib with her quill.
"Ouch, what was that for?" she hiss's in reply, rubbing her now rather sore side, making Alice giggle silently and glance over at Ruby remembering what she wanted to ask.
"Is Ruby not talking to me or something?" she asks genuinely confused about why she hasn't been talking to her since the little tiff they had in the Great Hall.
"Oh," Sam smirks caught a little of guard, "she's annoyed at you for hanging around with Tom,"
"I've hardly been hanging around with Tom!" she protests appearing a little more hurt than she really is.
"Yes well, it's a rarity that Tom ever seeks out anyone, especially with so many girls willing let him have his way,"
Taking that as a bit of a compliment and causing Alice to become a lot more confused than before, she turns around for a moment to stare at the back of Tom Riddles head as he concentrates on his work contently.
"Has he ever, you know, had a girlfriend?"
"Not a girlfriend per say, but he is known for having his way when he's not obsessing over his work or being secretive," Alice slightly taking aback by this surveys all the girls in the room, wondering which ones he's had his way with, not that any of them would have complained.
"Tom Riddle, a womanizer," she muse's, "who knew"

As the class nears to an end, everyone packs up feeling glad that the incredibly boring and tedious lesson is over.
"Miss. Abel a word if you don't mind?" Dumbledore asks catching her by surprise as she's packing her books away.
"Of course," she reply's, turning around and waiting for the class to leave; sensing that this has to be a private conversation. Sam gives her a small smile and tells her she'll meet her later on, and as Riddle walks past he catch's her gaze nodding lightly in her direction, probably curious about what Dumbledore wants with her.
After all her classmates have left and the door is closed she turns around to Dumbledore who is perched on the end of his desk, smiling genuinely at her.
"Alice, it's lovely to meet you," he begins ushering her to come closer and sit down, so she perches on the end of the desk at the front of the room.
"It seems that I haven't had a chance to talk to you since you arrived and I was just wondering how you are settling in?"
"Fine Professor, Hogwarts is a great school," she reply's meaning every word. Even if the students in it are rather complicated.
"I was hoping you'd say that. Now I know it's none of my business. But I was just wondering if one of the reason you came here was to find out the mystery behind your fathers work and your parents death?" he says, so casually that Alice has to double take before the words register in her brain. How does he know that something was off about the way they died, behind the reason they died?
"Professor, I don't know what you mean," she stutters, half lying and half telling the truth.
"I'm sorry Alice, but I am a very advanced Wizard, and after looking into their unfortunate deaths a little more closely, I couldn't help but notice something's just don't add up," he smiles, his eyes glimmering in the dull room. Alice doesn't reply, god smacked by how clever Dumbledore seems to be.
"Anyway, if you need any help you know where to come," he beams motioning Alice to the door. She smiles, thanking him for his kindness. Knowing that at the moment she won't need any help from the staff. This is just one thing she'll have to work out for herself.

Later that night after dinner Alice finds herself sitting in the Gryffindor common room, reading a book about the Dark Arts, and waiting for after hours so she can go and meet Tom Riddle. Her eyes run over the pages not really picking up any of the words. Tonight is the night. The night that she'll find out exactly how to remember the memory everyone wants her to forget. As much as her and Tom Riddle don't get along, she can't help but feel grateful at him for helping.

"Good evening Alice," Ruby says rather abruptly sitting down next to her on the couch in front of the fire. Alice turns around furrowing her eyebrows at the sudden change of heart. Wasn't Ruby avoiding her?
"Evening Ruby," she reply's in the same manner.
"I was just wondering what's so special about you?"
"Excuse me?"
"Well for some reason Tom Riddle seems far more interested in you than he is in me, and I would just like to know, what's so special about you?" her voice raising gradually until it's almost a yell. Seemingly she was trying to stay calm but that failed miserably. Alice lets the room fall into silence wondering why at Hogwarts, everybody has the ability to surpise her.
"I'm not sure what your talking about Ruby,"
"Oh don't play dumb with me," she practically spits standing up, "you'll rue the day you ever became my competition Abel!" and with that she storms of up to the dorm leaving Alice sitting in silence. Since when did they both become such bitter enemy's over a boy Alice isn't even interested in like that? Looking at the clock she realises that it's almost time to meet Tom Riddle. Standing up she try's to put the days occurrences out of her mind and heads out into the corridor focusing on the imediate though of soon being able to understand her past.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to give you a fright," Tom almost chuckles as Alice jumps three metres into the air then turns around with her hand holding the place her heart should be.
"Well you shouldn't come creeping up on people like that late at night, in dark corridors then," is her annoyed reply as she try's to calm her racing heart.
"As I said, I'm sorry," he smiles watching as the dim light flickers over her face causing her ocean blue eyes to eluminate in the darkness. She smiles back rolling her eyes at him.
"So what is this thing you want to tell me about?" she asks excitedly, her whole body straightening up at the though of gaining her information.
"We should go somewhere a little more private to talk,"

They walk through the dark corridors in silence, Alice following Tom until he finds a suitable place where they can talk in private.
"Here should be fine," he gestures, turning into an empty corridor and pointing to the large windowsill facing towards the forbidden forest. They both sit down opposite each other making themselves comfortable before the nights events begin.
"So come on, tell me!" she whispers excitedly, almost bobbing up and down on the windowsill.
"I will if you'd just sit still and let me begin," he grins placing his hand on her leg for a fraction of a second to calm her down.
"There's this room that I discovered a few years back," he begins looking down the corridor to make sure nobody's near, "it's called the Room of Requirements,"
"The Room of Requirements?" she repeats, "how can a room help me?"
"If you open it correctly, it will reveal to you exactly what you want and need, it can be anything," with this he notices her perking up abruptly.
"How to I find this room?"
"I can show you where it is situated, then you pace back and forward in front of it three times, thinking, telling, and willing for it to reveal to you what you want. Then a door should appear, which you enter, and nobody should be able to find you, or the room unless they know what you are after," he finish's surveying her expression, which is one of joy, and she appears almost speechless.
"Come on, I show you were it is and make sure you get in safely,"

Grabbing her arm and placing it in his own, he leads her through the maze of corridors and up to the seventh floor. Looking around Alice grimaces.
"Tom this is just an empty corridor," she states glaring up at him.
"Of course it is, that's how the room disguises itself," he reply's letting go of her arm and pointing over to a piece of empty wall, "now pace back and forward in front of there three times, telling it what you want it to reveal to you," he orders.

Walking over to the wall Alice can't help but blush at how stupid it seems. Walking back and forward in front of a bare wall hoping a door will appear. Glancing once more at Tom who gives her an encouraging look she does as she's told. Pacing slowly back and forward three times she mumbles and thinks "I need you to reveal to me the secret to gaining my memory back," over and over again, willing for this door to appear. Once her three turns are up she pauses for a moment and turns around to face the wall, which to her surprise isn't empty. In stead of a bare stretch of wall in front of her, there now is a small scruffy looking door. Turning back to Tom with apprehension and delight she reframes from doing a little dance in excitement.
"Do you think it's worked?" she grins, watching as he takes a step forward.
"Only one way to find out," he smiles at her placing his hand on her shoulder softly, causing her to melt a little inside which could possibly be down to her deliriously happy mood.
"You should smile more often,"
"I'll keep that in mind," he smiles again trying suppress a grin and stop himself from blushing, something which he never does.
"You want me to wait for you?" he asks feeling a little concerned for her well being since she's out in the empty corridors so late at night.
"No it's ok, I'll be fine. You should get back to your head duties," she winks, "thank you," is her last, sincere words before she opens the door and enters into whatever lies behind it. Leaving Tom standing staring at a blank wall where the door and Alice used to be, wondering how on earth she just managed to charm him into caring enough for her safety to wait around for god knows how long on her when he should be doing his rounds and then attending the meeting he's holding in an hour or so. Shaking his head in confusion and frowning mainly at himself, he turns around heading back to the enchated staircase wondering what on earth she wanted to find out so badly, and vowing to find out.